so, about to employ a nanny (first time) help please re contract, daily life etc

[silverfrog]

well, we have found a nanny we like.

she has not as much experience as we'd like, but she gets on well with the girls, and is keen to learn (SN nanny position - was always going to be tricky to find someone)

so now we get to the nitty gritty, and dh and I are trying to work out the smaller details.

eg, nanny has food requirements (she doesn't eat red meat) which clash with ours (dds eat a reasonable amount of red meat, as do dh & I) although not tonnes of it. what is reasonable to suggest as a way around this? nanny is live-in, so can't just get around it by avoiding meat lunches, etc.

dd1 is ASD, and has food issues. she will not be able to cope with a big change in her diet - she eats what she eats, and that is that.

am I supposed to ensure there is enough chicken/fish for nanny's needs each week? what is a reasonable amount here? tbh, dh & I don't eat a lot of chicken, due to costs. what we do eat is supplemented out with lentils/pulses. surely nanny won't be expecting me to provide chicken each night?

also hints as to issues to tie down in contracts would be helpful. we all (us and the nanny) feel that due to lack of experience it is better to have a comprehensive list of duties written out, and that is fine. I am compiling at the moment, but that is based on our daily realities, obviously. what other contract issues should we be looking at?

Firstly, congrats on finding a nanny!

I can send you a sample contract if you CAT me - or I can CAT you - which is a reasonable guide if slightly toooo comprehensive on some things! Alternatively you can find a less comprehensive one but still perfectly adequate here - the ANA approved one. There are still a couple of points I disagree with but fewer than the other model contract. One big this is they way they phrase holiday - I prefer to say 5.6 weeks and omit the mention of 'plus Bank Holidays'.

One way around it is to say that nanny cooks for herself in the evenings and the weekends and give her a food budget for 'extras' that she wants to buy. A bit of chicken, fish and plenty of lentils/pulses is a perfectly balanced diet.

Is nanny willing to cook red meat for your DCs? But serve it separately so she doesn't have to eat it herself?

In a contract I would always expect to see:

gross salary
hours
typical place of work

overtime payment arrangements
holiday (5.6weeks, usually split as 2 weeks your choice, 2 weeks hers and BHs)
sickness arrangements
reference to statutory maternity leave (and crucially for a live in that the accomodation is tied to the job so not available on ML and baby isn't allowed to come back into it)
probationary period
notice arrangements
disciplinary procedure including a clause on instant dismissal for gross misconduct

typical duties (make sure you include something to the effect of 'other duties as reasonably required)
travel with the family
sick children

car/transport - insurance, mileage (if she's using her own car), who pays speeding/parking fines (her usually).
kitty

accomodation and any house rules e.g. use of landline phone/ internet and visitors
arrangements for food
any other benefits e.g. mobile phone for work, gym membership

confidentiality clause for you and for her including any directions about photos of your children/house and disclosing info on the internet via social networking sites or messageboards

thanks, that's really helpful

if you could send me a copy, that would be great. you can email me on silverfrog13 @ gmail dot com

hadn't thought about the internet/social networking side of stuff - definitely fod for thought.

Gross misconduct sections I feel are often left fairly open. I would rather there were more examples given in that section if possible, so that it is plainly clear what sort of things you feel are grounds for instant dismissal.

Introduce your nanny to your local NAS branch and borrow some books from the branch library (if they have one). Though you may well have some books yourself which your nanny could borrow to read about ASD.

With regard to the red meat issue, not sure what to suggest. Though your nanny with luck will have some ideas of what how to overcome it. Could they use Vegemince as a source of protein. Note for you, that stuff mixed 50/50 with lamb or beef mince is lovely, also not bad on it's own in a spicy sauce